Like the title says, Have you ever considered building a boat, or perhaps even done so?
I have often thought about making a small rowing boat. Maybe like a dinghy that used to be hung at the rear of a larger vessel in the davits. Nothing large, actually an 8 or 10 feet boat is kind of what I had in mind.
I don't like sailing much though (I get enough sailing from my work), but building a boat has always had a strange attraction. I like the looks of traditional small boats, and I think that it will be a challenge to build one. The problem would be what I should do with it once I eventually finished it?
If I start a project like that, it deserves to get full attention, so I couldn't just rush it to end up with a boat shaped object.
Off course there are the usual obstacles like other projects that would be fun to make, some horses and a dog that needs to be tended to etc.
But that shouldn't stop anyone from dreaming about future projects.
The "dream boat" will be made out of larch on an oak frame.
Probably planked, but I have also been tempted at times to dream about making one with a smooth outside, all the boards are pressed together edge to edge, and tarred fibres are pressed in between.
In Danish this building method is called "kravel" I don't know the English term for that.
Hi Jonas,
ReplyDeleteYou don't have a pond or some other water source near by to use the boat on?
Hi Ralph.
DeleteWe do have some water which is pretty close to our home. My "problem" is that I don't particularly feel like using a boat all that much. But I would love to build one. I am not sure if it makes sense.
It is a bit like the fact that I would love to try coopering. Make a barrel or two, but I haven't got any idea what I should use them for. It would just be fun to try. The problem is that a boat requires a bit more material and time than a barrel (at least in my imagination).
No matter what, it is not a project that is in the near future pipeline.
Brgds
Jonas
I too have wanted to do this. When we moved to our current house in 2001 I wanted to build only 2 things: a picket fence in the front yard, and an ~8' row boat for the pond. Finally got the fence in 2009, still waiting on the boat... At the time, I read a book c.1920 about building such a small boat amoung others. In that book it called the caulk "whiting" and it was made from rope and lead paint if I recall. It seemed a fun & feasible project, might be a good father/son thing to do. (Aside from sourcing lead products) Go for it!
ReplyDeleteHi Jeremy
DeleteI am glad that I am not the only one who have long time dream projects.
Like you I was thinking that it might be a good thing to build with the boys. Though they would probably prefer something like the old hydroplanes from the 60'ies from Popular Mechanics etc. They are supe cool and seems to be easy to build. But in the police state of Denmark, regulations were made some years ago stating that you had to be 16 and take a license to be allowed to use a fast boat. So that sort of rules that one out. I have thought about making a hovercraft instead, because that is technically not a boat since it does not displace any water while waterborne :-)
Brgds
Jonas
You can build a paddle board! I mean a hollow wooden paddle board! It would be more fun to ride! I thought about making one myself. I have looked at many websites about how to build wooden surfboards and my favorite by far is the one build by Theo Marschall aka cedarsurfer77, check his IG profile, there is a few jaw dropping pics of his board: https://instagram.com/cedarsurfer77/
ReplyDeleteThere is also an article about his build in the Feb or March issue of furniture and cabinetmakers magazine.
Hello Aymeric.
DeleteI checked the cedarsurfers IG profile. That is really top notch work. But I must say that I would prefer something a bit larger, also just to try my hand out on making a traditional type of boat.
Looking at his pictures I am amazed at how much depth can be had in a piece of wood that is varnished. The surf board seems almost too pretty to be used.
Brgds
Jonas
I understand Jonas! If you join IG, I am @happy_shavings. There is a great community of IG woodworkers you know. Good luck with the build! Regards
DeleteHello Aymeric.
DeleteI'll check out your IG site.
I think I'd better limit myself to having a blog. I don't have a smart phone, so taking pictures always involves me finding a digital camera.
But I am tempted to get an account though.
Brgds
Jonas
Hi i have a friend who did a small dinghy some years back, as an intro to boat building. I know that he went to some courses on the subject here in DK. If you are interested, you shoul try and get your local library to order this dvd for you:
ReplyDeletehttps://bibliotek.kk.dk/ting/object/710100%3A43672576/facets%3Afacet.type%3Advd%3B%3Bquery%3Anationalmuse%C3%A9t%3Bentry%3A1
Hi Niels
DeleteI'll try to get the library to order the DVD for me next time I am home from the sea.
I know that Løgstør bådebyggeri makes some introduction courses to boat building. It might be worth taking one or two of those to get an idea of the process.
Thanks for commenting :-)
Brgds
Jonas
I would love someday to build a canoe. I really enjoy canoeing, and I think a wooden one looks absolutely gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI'll get to it as soon as I'm finished with all of the other projects that are on my list. :o)
Wooden canoes are indeed works of art.
DeleteI guess you will be able to start making the canoe in September (2015), you can't have that many projects left to finish :-)
Cheers
Jonas
One of the best lesson projects I built. It changed how I work. I now build most everything to a relative proportion rather than precise measuring. Size parts to fit and be fair. It was a 16' lap side row boat using plywood on mahogany frame and Cyprus seats. Rowed twice and gave it away. I discovered it was all about building the boat and that I didn't really want a boat.
ReplyDeleteHere is photo post. (If Isis this correct)
Deletehttps://instagram.com/p/0QA-m_Lz9x/
Hello Steven
DeleteWhat a beautiful boat, thanks for sharing the picture.
That is pretty close to what I had in mind.
If I had an Instagram account (which I don't) I would give you a "like" for posting it.
I can relate exactly to the idea of it just being about building the boat, not wanting a boat. I guess that might be a bit difficult to explain to a lot of people.
Did you build it from a set of plans or a kit?
Brgds
Jonas
Plans. I thought I purchased from Bateu.com, but I don't see the plans I have. If you like, I could mail them to you And save you the cost. It is called the Rebecca designed by Bob Cramer of The Rowing Company. Plans included steps and build order. I referrenced a few books. Boatbuilding with Plywood by Glen L. Witt was very helpful. A good youtube is Hands Shannon One Design. It is three parts.
Deletehttps://youtu.be/XthOkO-wsK4
Hi Steven
DeleteThanks for the very kind offer, but I would like to respectfully decline.
16' is a bit on the large side for me to handle easily, and I don't think that the first build should involve scaling a plan down.
If I accepted your kind offer, I would feel obliged to build the boat, if I didn't I would feel like a cheap guy hoarding plans offered to me by kind people.
I'll check the Youtube video once I get back home, our satellite connection out here can't handle videos.
Best regards
Jonas
I've never really considered building a boat. I live not far from a river, but I don't fish much. For whatever reason it is something that never really crossed my mind. There is a canoe maker not far from me, and he does beautiful work.
ReplyDeleteI can remember reading once about making a very basic boat, and the author suggested using pine or spruce, and he said that the joints should be very slightly loose, as the water would swell them up and close up the joint tightly. I'm not sure if that is sound advice or not but it seems to make sense.
Thanks.
Bill
Hi Bill.
DeleteI know that a lot of wooden boats need to swell a bit in the water to become completely tight, but I had not heard that the joints should be made "loose" deliberately. I read that in Japanese boat building it is very unprofessional if the boat is leaking the slightest even at first launch.
I might be afraid that it is a project that will take so much time, that I will in some way regret building it, because I could have used the time on something else that I would have liked to have, such as a shed at the summer house, or something in that direction. But then again, I have been toying with the idea of building a boat for many years actually. So maybe it would be the best just to get it out of the system.
Perhaps I could sell it once it was complete, then it wouldn't seem like a "waste of time". Not that getting smarter by trying out a new technique can be determined WOT.
I don't want to have a wooden boat due to all the maintenance, but building it is different in my head.
Brgds
Jonas
think that his reasoning was that if the joint was completely tight and seamless to begin with the swelling could cause it to crack. I think what he had in mind was something like a spring joint, but I'm just guessing.
DeleteBill
I can see the general idea of that. I'll have to ask one of my friends before starting anyway (he is a trained boat builder).
DeleteMaybe there is a difference in techniques regarding if the boat is supposed to be in the water constantly, or if it is a boat which is frequently taken out of the water hence drying and swelling a lot.
Brgds
Jonas
I've been thinking about trying it, though I'll probably have to clear out my garage first. I'm considering building a 6 hour canoe this summer, though. It's all plywood, so it's not exactly a standard traditional boat, but it looks like fun. If I enjoy that enough, I'll think about building something out of solid wood. You can probably find plans somewhere on the web, or in the book "Building the Six-Hour Canoe" by Richard Butz, John Montague, and William Bartoo.
ReplyDeleteI think the English term for "kravel" is "caravel" -- my guess is that it's just an anglicized version of the same word. I'd love to build a planked boat, but from everything I've read it's a project that can be expected to take months or years.
Hi Andy
DeleteGarage clean out... That is definitely an obstacle that needs to be tackled before any boat building can commence at my place too.
The 6 hour canoe sounds like a project that is pretty guaranteed to be a success. I just checked the book out on Amazon.
I think you are right about caravel being the word I was looking for, I found that description while trawling the net for plans and information.
My "problem" is that I have gotten into my head, that I want to build something out of solid wood. It is probably not the smartest idea I have ever had, but there is not much I can do about it..
After all, starting an eventual boat building project is still a long way into the future, and I haven't finally made up my mind, if I should really do it.
Brgds
Jonas
Perhaps since you are sort of wanting to do this, but don't really want the final product for a practical purpose, you should make a scale model like 1:3 or 1:6. Perhaps that could be a smaller time commitment, yet still gain the skills from making a full-size boat. Also it's something you could potentially build at sea. Then you can check it off your list, or put it firmly in the "must do" column. I'd imagine that it'd make an interesting piece that either you'd want to keep in the house or shop or could gift/sell sell to someone in your naval circles.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeremy.
DeleteA model boat is a great idea, but I am afraid that it will still be different from a real boat unless it was made in 1:2.
I am only guessing though, but I could potentially see that a planking strip for a boat 1:6 would be super tin and therefore much easier to negotiate into place, only to split without warning when I tried to attach a nail for clinking.
That aside, it would definitely be a fun and challenging project to do out here. I just have to think a bit more about it before starting on a model.
Model building is another of those things I have always admired. That too could be a dangerous road to start on :-)
Brgds
Jonas